First Class West Coast Travel

[John07]

I have recently discovered that First Class travel can be affordable with advanced booking and a travelcard. What has amazed me is the variability of service when travelling between Edinburgh/Glasgow and Manchester.

With First Trans Pennine Express you get what you pay for. This usually amounts to tea or coffee plus a snack box. It is with Virgin that the variability is most pronounced.

Last week travelling from Glasgow to Manchester in the afternoon (changing at Preston to TPE) on a London bound Pendelino. I was offered tea as soon as the train departed followed by hot snacks/toasted sandwiches. Later they came around with wine, cold drinks, and more tea/coffee. Coming back the next morning it was very similar bar the wine. Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon was on offer.

A week or two back I made much the same journey but starting at Edinburgh on the Birmingham bound Voyager. There was no table service. If you showed a first class ticket to the buffet car you could get tea, coffee, and water plus a snack box. However if you wanted orange juice or anything else you had to pay for it.

The fares to Manchester from Edinburgh and Glasgow were comparable so why the huge disparity in level of service provided by the same operator?

 

[transmanche]

IThe fares to Manchester from Edinburgh and Glasgow were comparable so why the huge disparity in level of service provided by the same operator?

Have you looked at the Virgin Trains website, which explains the different First Class catering offers on Pendolino and Super Voyager trains?

I'd imagine it's down to the fact that the shorter Super Voyager trains (5 carriages) have a smaller catering area than the Pendolino trains (9 or 11 carriages). There's also a reduced service at weekends.

 

[calc7]

Sounds like your Voyager service was on a weekend.

 

[John07]

Yes my trip from Edinburgh was on a Saturday morning and the trip from Glasgow was on a Tuesday afternoon.

I can appreciate the limited kitchen facilities on the Voyager. But I still find it hard to see why on one service you get unlimited wine and hot and cold drinks while on the other you cannot have an orange juice out of the fridge without paying for it while paying a very similar fare.

 

[cjp]

Yes my trip from Edinburgh was on a Saturday morning and the trip from Glasgow was on a Tuesday afternoon.

I can appreciate the limited kitchen facilities on the Voyager. But I still find it hard to see why on one service you get unlimited wine and hot and cold drinks while on the other you cannot have an orange juice out of the fridge without paying for it while paying a very similar fare.

Weekend First usually costs less then weekday firsts to reflect lower service levels (of snacks and soft drinks - hot flavoured water! - compared to "real" catering)

See also this thread http://railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=71291

 

[ainsworth74]

I can appreciate the limited kitchen facilities on the Voyager. But I still find it hard to see why on one service you get unlimited wine and hot and cold drinks while on the other you cannot have an orange juice out of the fridge without paying for it while paying a very similar fare.

That's just the way it is. On weekends first class service is reduced to the bare bones as leisure travellers (who make up most of the people travelling on weekends) are not their target market. That being said I do think VT's weekend first class is dreadful, especially compared to EC's where you'll get snacks (including sandwiches) as well as hot and cold drinks.

 

[calc7]

That's just the way it is. On weekends first class service is reduced to the bare bones as leisure travellers (who make up most of the people travelling on weekends) are not their target market. That being said I do think VT's weekend first class is dreadful, especially compared to EC's where you'll get snacks (including sandwiches) as well as hot and cold drinks.

To be fair - this is also reflected in the price - e.g. £15 for Glasgow/Manchester/Liverpool to Euston and only £10 on the Wolverhampton/Birmingham route.